Last day to register for May primary

Today is the last day for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in order to cast ballots in the May 20 primary, open to any voters registered with the Republican or Democratic parties.

First-time registrations, or changes of address or party affiliation, must be delivered to county election boards or postmarked by today for those who want to cast ballots in the primary next month. Those who missed the deadline still have time to register to vote in the November 4 general election.

Voters who will turn 18 on or before the primary or general elections don't have to wait until they're 18 to register.

Pennsylvania has 8.2 million registered voters. Primary election voters next month will nominate candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. House and state House and Senate.

"For the last couple of primaries, the turnout has been low," said Ron Ruman, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections.

In 2012, about 26 percent of registered Republicans and almost 15 percent of registered Democrats cast ballots in the primary. In 2010, the last gubernatorial election year, 27.5 percent of Republicans and 23.9 percent of Democrats voted.

For state Legislature seats, this year marks the first time new district boundaries are taking effect, so voters may find themselves in different districts.

Voters can go on VotesPA.com to find their polling place, or can call their county elections office.